John swensson



(No Model.)

J. SWENSSON.

FURNITURE POLISHER.

No. 250,297. Patented Nov. 29,1881.

Wz'bzesses; A I fn 06722101,

ETERS. Plwloumgmpher, wnmngwn. D. C.

w- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN swENssoN, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

FURNITURE-POLISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,297, dated November29, 1881.

Application filed J une 25, 1881. (No model.)

To all .whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN SWENSSON, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Furniture-Polishers,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improved means for applying to pianos and otherfurniture the superior gloss known as French polish.7

The operation of French polishing has heretofore been performed by meansof a piece of cloth wrapped around a piece of cotton, the latter beingsoaked or 'dampened with the polishing-liquid (generally a solution of shellacin alcohol) and acting as a feed-reservoir, from which the liquidis gradually squeezed through the cloth by pressure with the fingers ofthe operator as he rubs the thus formed pad upon the surface of thefurniture operated upon. This mode is tedious, requiring much care andskill for obtaining an even polish, and presents extra difficulties inpolishing in the junction of two surfaces meeting at an angle, the sharpgroove or inner corner between such surfaces being almost inaccessibleto the pad.

My present invention has for its object to overcome these difculties;and it consists in a self-feeding angular polisher, constructed ashereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinalvertical section of my improved furniture-polisher. Fig. 2 is across-section of the same, taken on the line y y of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is anend view of the same. Fig. et is an inside view of the same, the coverand feed-plate bein g removed. Fig.5 is a plan view of the feed-plate,seen from the under side.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The polisher consists mainly of a flat-bottomed, square, or angularbox,A, whose sides form right or acute angles with the working surfaceor under side of the bottom, so as to adapt it to be moved along in andin contact with the sharp inner angle betweenfor instance, avertically-projecting portion and a horizontal surface of a piece offurniture. One end ofthe box A may be rounded off to similarly adapt itfor contact in the angle between a plain and a curved surface. The botatom of the box may be made convex when it is desired to specially adaptit for polishing concave surfaces.

The cover B, which is screwed or otherwise fastened t'o the box A, has asupply-opening closable by a plug, b, through which the box is chargedwith the polishing-liquid. The bottom is provided with rows ofdownward-flaw ing perforations a, through which the liquid o ws down toand gradually percolates through an absorbing cloth pad, C, covering theentire under side ofthe bottom. rlhe upper orinner surface of the bottomis covered by a feedplate, D, conformingin shape to that ofthe bottom,so as to fully close all the perforations when desired. The liquid isadmitted to the perforations a by means of transverse grooves orchannels d cut in the face or under side of the feed-plate D, when saidplate is moved into such position that the said grooves partly or whollyuncover the said perforations.

To shut oi' or to regulate the flow of theliq uid, it is only necessaryto provide means for keeping the feed-plate D tight upon tl e bottomofthe boxA and for sliding it in a direction at right angles to thegrooves d. For this purpose the feed-plate is provided in about itscenter line with two verticallybored and threaded hubs, in which fiteye-screws E. A rod, F, having its bearings in holes through oppositeends of the box A, is inserted through the eyes of the said screws E atabout right angles to the direction of the channels d, and the inner endof the rod F is threaded at f to work in threads formed in the innerscrew-eye,

c. The rod F is held in its bearings by being provided with acircumferential groove, f', into which lits the correspondingly-shapededge of a small plate, H, fastened to outside of the end of the box by ascrew, 7L. The outer end of the rod F is bent, or otherwise providedwith a handle, G, for turning it. By turning the handle G to the right(if the thread f be righthanded) until the plate D assumes about theposition in Fig. 1 it is evident that the dow of the polishing-liquidwill be shut off from the perforations a, and by turning the handle G tothe left until the grooves d partly or wholly uncover the perforations athe liquid will be admitted in adj usted quantities to less or moremoisten the cloth pad C.

To tighten the plate D upon the bottom of the box A, it is onlynecessary to remove the plate H and the rod F from the box, then unsereWthe eye-screwsy E one or more half-turns in their hubs, so as toincrease the distance between the eyes of the screws E and the face 5 ofthe feed-plate D, and finally replace the rod F and plate Hin theposition of Fig.1. When in use the constructed polisher is held in onehand and rubbed with the cloth pad C in contact upon the surface to bepolished, the feedplateD beingrst adjusted to admit the proper amount ofliquid to the pad.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

15 1. In a furniture-polisher, the combination of the box or reservoirA, having rows of perforations a in its bottom, with the slidingfeedplate D, having grooves or channels d in its under side,substantially as and for the purzo pose set forth.

2. The combination of theffeed-plate D, having channels cl on its underside, and one or more threaded and guiding uprights, E, with the, boxA,having perforated bottom, and with the rod and feed-screw F f, held inbearings 2 5 in the walls of the said box A, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

v3. The combination, With the rod F and the feed-plate D, arranged tooperate as described, the eye-screws E, threaded in hubs upon the saidfeed-plate, and tted with their eyes to slide upon the said rod for thepurpose of adjusting the tightness of the feed-plate D, substantially asspecied.

A. W. ALMQvIsT, JOHN M. STELLE.

